Scarifier Assembly

Abstract

A scarifier assembly for connection to a vehicle, including right and left housing assemblies, each of which includes a first and second pivots. The scarifier assembly has a pivotal arm assembly having a rear cross member with a forward extending right end connected to the first pivot of the right housing assembly and a forward extending left end connected to the first pivot of the left housing assembly. A plurality of elongate teeth are removably connected to a plurality of flanges that are connected to the rear cross member. A right lift actuator is pivotally connected to the second pivot of the right housing assembly and pivotally connected to the forward extending right end of the pivotal arm assembly, and a left lift actuator is pivotally connected to the second pivot of the left housing assembly and pivotally connected to the forward extending left end of the pivotal arm assembly.

Claims

1. A scarifier assembly for connection to a vehicle, comprising: a right first pivot and a second pivot, and a left first pivot and second pivot; a pivotal arm assembly comprising a rear cross member extending between and connected to a forward extending right end and a forward extending left end; a plurality of teeth connected to the rear cross member of the pivotal arm assembly; the forward extending right end of the pivotal arm assembly being pivotally connected to the right first pivot and the forward extending left end of the pivotal arm assembly being pivotally connected to the left first pivot; a right lift actuator pivotally connected at a first end to the right second pivot and pivotally connected at a second end to the forward extending right end of the pivotal arm assembly at a location spaced from the connection of the forward extending right end of the pivotal arm assembly to the right first pivot; a left lift actuator pivotally connected at a first end to the left second pivot and pivotally connected at a second end to the forward extending left end of the pivotal arm assembly at a location spaced from the connection of the forward extending left end of the pivotal arm assembly to the left first pivot.

2. The scarifier assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the right and left first and second pivots are located within respective right and left housing assemblies, and each of the right and left housing assemblies comprises an inner wall connected to the vehicle.

3. The scarifier assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the right and left housing assemblies further comprises an inner wall connected to the vehicle and an outer wall, and each respective first pivot and second pivot extend between the respective inner wall and outer wall.

4. The scarifier assembly of claim 3, wherein the outer wall of each of the right and left housing assemblies further comprises mounting apertures through which mounting fasteners are accessible.

5. The scarifier assembly of claim 3, wherein the outer wall of each of the right and left housing assemblies further comprises respective apertures through which the first pivot and second pivot are accessible.

6. The scarifier assembly of claim 5, wherein the outer wall of each of the right and left housing assemblies further comprises closure elements that extend over the respective apertures through which the first pivot and second pivot are accessible.

7. The scarifier assembly of claim 3, wherein the outer wall of each of the right and left housing assemblies further comprises a central opening through which the lift actuator is accessible and the outer wall of each of the right and left housing assemblies further comprises a removable cover that closes the respective central opening.

8. The scarifier assembly of claim 1, wherein the right and left actuators move the pivotal arm assembly to pivot about the right and left first pivots and between a first raised position and a second lowered position.

9. The scarifier assembly of claim 1, wherein for each of the right and left housing assemblies, the first pivot is forward of and lower than the second pivot.

10. The scarifier assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of teeth are removably connected to the rear cross member.

11. The scarifier assembly of claim 10, wherein the rear cross member further comprises rearward extending flanges to which the plurality of teeth are removably connected.

12. The scarifier assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of flanges connected to the rear cross member comprise at least one mounting aperture configured to receive a fastener that extends through at least one aperture in at least one of the plurality of teeth.

13. The scarifier assembly of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of flanges connected to the rear cross member further comprise two mounting apertures, with each of the two mounting apertures being configured to receive the fastener that extends through the at least one aperture in at least one of the plurality of teeth.

14. The scarifier assembly of claim 12, wherein the fastener further comprises an elongated rod and the elongated rod extends through respective apertures in two or more flanges that are connected to the rear cross member and two or more of the plurality of teeth.

15. The scarifier assembly of claim 12, wherein the fastener further comprises a bolt.

16. The scarifier assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of teeth further comprises a planar tooth central body.

17. The scarifier assembly of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of teeth further comprises an upper end having an upward extending angle from the central body and a lower end having a downward extending angle from the central body.

18. The scarifier assembly of claim 17, wherein the angle at which the upper end extends upward is the same as the angle at which the lower end extends downward.

19. The scarifier assembly of claim 18, wherein the orientation of each of the plurality of teeth is reversible end-to-end to present the same downward extending angle from the central body and may be rotated to reverse the downward extending angle from the central body.

20. The scarifier assembly of claim 1, wherein the lift actuators are hydraulic and are connected to a diverter valve.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In describing the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawing figures wherein like parts have like reference numerals, and wherein:

[0015] FIG. 1A is a right rear perspective view showing a first example scarifier assembly connected to the rear of a first example vehicle and having a pivotal arm in a first, raised position, while using a first fastener configuration for connecting the removable teeth.

[0016] FIG. 1B is a right rear perspective view showing the example vehicle of FIG. A1 presenting a mounting position for a right housing of the scarifier assembly after ballast plates have been removed from the vehicle.

[0017] FIG. 1C is a right rear perspective view showing a cross-sectioned portion of a right housing of the scarifier assembly connected to the right rear of the first example vehicle of FIG. 1A.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a left rear perspective view of the first example scarifier assembly connected to the vehicle of FIG. 1A and having the pivotal arm moved to a second, lowered position with the removable, adjustable teeth engaging the ground.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a right rear perspective view of the first example scarifier assembly connected to the vehicle of FIG. 1A and having the right housing cross-sectioned, while the pivotal arm is moved to show the lift moved to the second, lowered position with the removable, adjustable teeth engaging the ground.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a side view of the first example scarifier assembly connected to the vehicle of FIG. 1A and having the pivotal arm moved to the first, raised position.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a closer right rear perspective partially exploded view of a portion of the rear of the first example vehicle of FIG. 1A and showing use of an alternative second fastener configuration for connecting the removable teeth, with the teeth from the right side of the pivotal arm removed and stowed on optional storage posts atop the right housing, while the removable teeth and elongated mounting rod of the second fastener configuration for the left side of the pivotal arm are exploded away from the pivotal arm.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a top view of a portion of a hydraulic circuit by which the first example scarifier assembly may be hydraulically connected to the first example vehicle of FIG. 1A.

[0023] FIG. 7 is a right rear perspective view showing a second example scarifier assembly connected to the rear of a second example vehicle and having a pivotal arm in a first, raised position.

[0024] FIG. 8 is a left rear perspective view of the second example scarifier assembly connected to the vehicle of FIG. 7 and having the left housing cross-sectioned, while the pivotal arm is moved to show the lift moved to the second, lowered position with the removable, adjustable teeth engaging the ground.

[0025] FIG. 9 is a closer right rear perspective partially exploded view of a portion of the rear of the second example vehicle of FIG. 7 and showing some of the removable teeth from the right side of the pivotal arm and a third fastener configuration for the removable teeth exploded away from the pivotal arm.

[0026] It should be understood that the drawings are not to scale. While some mechanical details of the example scarifier assembly, including details of fastening means and other plan and section views of the particular components, have not been shown, such details are considered to be within the comprehension of those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present disclosure. It also should be understood that the present disclosure and claims are not limited to the preferred embodiments illustrated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Referring generally to FIGS. 1-9, it will be appreciated that scarifier assemblies of the present disclosure generally may be embodied in numerous configurations. Indeed, the teachings within this disclosure present embodiments that provide significant advantages over prior art scarifier assemblies, and in some instances with optional alternative structures.

[0028] FIGS. 1-6 show a first example scarifier assembly 10 for connection to a first example vehicle 12. It will be appreciated that the first example vehicle 12 is an earth moving vehicle constructed as a track vehicle, such as a skid steer vehicle that may be available from a number of different manufacturers of commercial construction equipment. It will be appreciated that the scarifier assembly 10 may be connected to a wheeled vehicle, such as is shown with the second example vehicle 112 in FIGS. 7-9.

[0029] The scarifier assembly 10 includes a right housing assembly 14 and a left housing assembly 16. The right housing assembly 14 includes a first pivot 18 and a second pivot 20, and the left housing assembly 16 includes a first pivot 22 and a second pivot 24. A pivotal arm assembly 26 includes a rear cross member 28 extending between and connected to a forward extending right end 30 and a forward extending left end 32. The pivotal arm assembly 26 further includes a plurality of flanges 34 connected to the rear cross member 28 and a plurality of elongated teeth 36 removably connected to the plurality of flanges 34. The forward extending right end 30 of the pivotal arm assembly 26 is pivotally connected to the first pivot 18 of the right housing assembly 14 and the forward extending left end 32 of the pivotal arm assembly 26 is pivotally connected to the first pivot 22 of the left housing assembly 16. A right lift actuator 38 is pivotally connected at a first end to the second pivot 20 of the right housing assembly 14 and is pivotally connected at a second end to the forward extending right end 30 of the pivotal arm assembly 26 at a location 40 spaced from the connection of the forward extending right end 30 of the pivotal arm assembly 26 to the first pivot 18 of the right housing assembly 14. A left lift actuator 42 pivotally connected at a first end to the second pivot 24 of the left housing assembly 16 and pivotally connected at a second end to the forward extending left end 32 of the pivotal arm assembly 26 at a location 44 spaced from the connection of the forward extending left end 32 of the pivotal arm assembly 26 to the first pivot 22 of the left housing assembly 16.

[0030] As will be appreciated by viewing FIGS. 3 and 4, for each of the right and left housing assemblies 14, 16, the first pivot 18, 22 is forward of and lower than the second pivot 20, 24. With the forward extending right and left ends 30, 32 of the pivotal arm assembly 26 connected to the respective first pivots 18, 22, and the respective lift actuators 38, 42 connected at first ends to the respective second pivots 20, 24 and at second ends to locations spaced from the connection of the pivotal arm assembly to the respective first pivots 18, 22, this results in a configuration wherein the pivotal arm assembly 26 is lowered when extending the lift actuators 38, 42, and raised when retracting the lift actuators 38, 42.

[0031] Each of the right and left housing assemblies 14, 16 of the scarifier assembly 10 has an inner wall 46 connected to the vehicle 12. For example, as best seen in FIGS. the inner wall 46 of each of the housing assemblies 14, 16 may be connected to the rear of the vehicle 12 via mounting fasteners 48, such as bolts, which are received by threaded mounting holes 50 that are otherwise provided for mounting ballast plates. Each of the right and left housing assemblies 14, 16 further includes an outer wall 52, and the first pivot 18, 22 and second pivot 20, 24 extend between the respective inner wall 46 and outer wall 52. The outer wall 52 of each of the right and left housing assemblies 14, 16 optionally includes mounting apertures 54 through which mounting fasteners 48 are accessible. The right and left housing assemblies 14, 16 have a forward upper wall 56 and a rearward upper wall 58 that extend between and are connected to the inner wall 46 and outer wall 52, but remain open in the vertical space between the forward upper wall 56 and rearward upper wall 58, as well as across the bottom of the housing assemblies 14, 16.

[0032] The outer wall 52 of each of the right and left housing assemblies 14, 16 further include respective apertures 60 through which the first pivot 18, 22 and second pivot 20, 24 are accessible, and further include closure elements 62 that extend over the respective apertures 60. The closure elements 62 are configured as tabs mounted by bolts that can be loosened to pivot the tabs to gain access to the first pivots 18, 22 and second pivots 20, 24 for maintenance, such as lubrication, or removal to permit removal of the pivotal arm assembly 26 and/or lift actuators 38, 42. Each outer wall 52 of the right and left housing assemblies 14, 16 also has a central opening 64 through which the respective lift actuator 38, 42 is accessible. Each central opening 64 is closed by a removable cover 66 to help protect the lift actuators 38, 42 from debris, inadvertent contact or other damage.

[0033] As best seen in FIG. 5, the plurality of flanges 34 connected to the rear cross member 28 of the pivotal arm assembly 26 are arranged in pairs, with each pair of flanges 34 configured as a receiver 68 that receives one of the plurality of teeth 36 between the respective pair of flanges 34. In this first example, the receiver 68 is U-shaped and includes a rear wall 70 that connects the pair of flanges 34. To connect one of the plurality of teeth 36 to the flanges 34 of a receiver 68, the plurality of flanges 34 that are connected to the rear cross member 28 include at least one mounting aperture 72 configured to receive a fastener 74 that also extends through an aperture 76 in one of the plurality of teeth 36. To enhance the adjustability of the scarifier assembly 10, the plurality of flanges 34 connected to the rear cross member 28 of this example actually include two mounting apertures 72 at different heights in each of the flanges 34, with each of the two mounting apertures 72 being configured to receive the fastener 74 that extends through the aperture 76 in one of the plurality of teeth 36.

[0034] It will be appreciated when viewing FIG. 5 that for at least one of the plurality of teeth 36 of the first example scarifier assembly 10, the fastener 74 that extends through the apertures 72 in the flanges 34 and through the aperture 76 in one of the teeth 36, includes an elongated rod 78. Indeed in this example, for ease of adjusting the depth of cutting by the teeth 36, the elongated rod 78 extends through respective apertures 72 in two or more flanges 34 and two or more of the plurality of teeth 36. In this manner, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 2-5, the depth of cutting of several teeth 36 may be adjusted in a very simple and quick manner by simply withdrawing the elongated rod 78 from the teeth 36, shifting the vertical position of each tooth 36 relative to the apertures 72 through the flanges 34 and then reinserting the elongated rod 78 through the respective teeth 36.

[0035] To help facilitate adjustment of the depth of the teeth 36, a first end 80 of the elongated rod 78 includes a handle for ease of grasping and manipulating, while the opposed second end 82 includes structure to secure the elongated rod 78 in position. For instance, as seen in FIGS. 1A, 2 and 3, the elongated rod 78 may have a hole through the second end 82 and the second end 82 may be secured by use of a clevis pin 84, cotter pin or the like. It will be appreciated that alternative ways of securing the ends of the fastener 74 may be utilized, one of which may be seen in FIG. 5 where the second end 82 is threaded to receive a nut 84, such as a Nyloc nut, to ensure the elongated rod 78 will not inadvertently be removed or fall from the vehicle 12.

[0036] For ease of use, the lift actuators 38, 42 are intended to be fully extended to a preset limit when intending to engage a ground surface and fully retracted when intending to otherwise operate the vehicle 12. In essence, the pivotal arm assembly 26 is lowered to be approximately two inches from the ground surface when the lift actuators 38, 42 are in their fully extended position. Therefore, the depth of cutting of the soil is controlled by adjusting the extent to which the teeth 36 extend downward from the rear cross member 28. As best seen in FIG. 5, to provide for cutting depth adjustment, each of the plurality of teeth 36 includes a central body 86 having a plurality of the apertures 76 along a length of the central body 86. Also, as seen in FIG. 5, if there is a desire to operate the vehicle 12 with the pivotal arm assembly 26 in a raised position, but without the teeth 36 connected thereto, then the teeth 36 may be stowed elsewhere, such as on the optional posts 106 that may be mounted to the top of the rearward upper wall 58 of the right and left housing assemblies 14, 16. Stowing the teeth 36 may help to protect them from damage and they may be retained on the posts 106, such as by use of a clevis pin 108, threaded engagement of the posts 106 with nuts, or use of other suitable fasteners.

[0037] To enhance the ability to penetrate and break-up compacted soil or other materials, each of the plurality of teeth 36 further includes an upper end 88 having an upward extending angle from the central body 86 and a lower end 90 having a downward extending angle from the central body 86. Preferably, the angle at which the upper end 88 extends upward is the same as the angle at which the lower end 90 extends downward, and both are preferably 45 degrees, but it will be appreciated that other angles may be used. The pivotal arm assembly 26 preferably is deployed at an angle of approximately 40 degrees when in the fully lowered position. With this example configuration and each of the teeth 36 having upper and lower ends 88, 90 at angles of 45 degrees, each of the teeth 36 will tend to have a forward tip that is deeper than a heel or trailing portion of the lower end 90. It will be appreciated that the depth of the teeth 36 will tend to influence whether the teeth are rupturing the compacted or hard ground surface or tending to till and create furrows. With apertures 76 being approximately one inch apart, the approximately 40 degree angle of the pivotal arm assembly 26 means that that adjustment from one aperture 76 to the next results in a depth adjustment of roughly one half inch, although it will be appreciated that other configurations may be utilized.

[0038] As will be appreciated in FIG. 5, with the upper and lower ends 88, 90 of the teeth 36 cut at similar angles, the orientation of each of the plurality of teeth 36 is reversible end to end to present the same downward extending angle from the central body 86. Thus, each of the teeth 36 may be removed, rotated about a horizontal axis and reconnected to the flanges 34, advantageously doubling the wear life. As a further advantage, each of the plurality of teeth 36 may be rotated to reverse the downward extending angle from the central body 86. Thus, each of the teeth 36 may be removed, rotated about a vertical axis and reconnected to the flanges 34, such as in the position shown in FIG. 4, resulting in less aggressive engagement of the ground surface, such as may be utilized more for tilling the soil.

[0039] For advantageous compatibility with most earth moving equipment, the lift actuators may be hydraulic actuators. As will be appreciated and best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lift actuators 38, 42 may utilize supply lines 92 and return lines 94, which may be connected to auxiliary ports of a standard hydraulic system on a vehicle, in a conventional manner, such as with respect to auxiliary ports on the front lift arms of a skid steer. The supply lines 92 and return lines 94 for the actuators 38, 42 advantageously alternatively may be connected to the hydraulic system of a vehicle by being connected to a diverter valve 96, such as is shown in FIG. 6. The diverter valve 96 is spliced into the hydraulic system of the vehicle 12 by being connected on a source side coming from the vehicle 12 to a supply line 98 and return line 100. The diverter valve 96 then may be operated by a solenoid that provides an opportunity for an operator to choose function one or function two. In this instance, function one would be to control the hydraulic function at the auxiliary ports of the vehicle by use of a supply line 102 and return line 104, and function two would be to control the lift actuators 38, 42, via supply lines 92 and return lines 94.

[0040] FIGS. 7-9 show an alternative vehicle 112, which is a wheeled skid steer, which is employing a scarifier assembly 110 connected at its rear in a similar manner to that shown with the first example scarifier assembly 10 and first example vehicle 12. This second example scarifier assembly 110 largely includes the same components as in the first example scarifier assembly 10, and the previous description applies with respect to like numbered components. The one way in which the scarifier assembly 110 differs from the earlier example scarifier assembly 10 is with respect to having pairs of flanges 134 that are connected to the pivotal arm assembly 26 at a forward end but are not connected to each other at a rearward end, as in the prior example. Each pair of flanges 134 provides a receiver 168 that receives one of the plurality of teeth 36 therebetween. A further alternative way of connecting the teeth 36 is shown in FIGS. 7-9 with respect to the second example vehicle 112. Each of the teeth 36 is connected by use of a fastener 174, which includes a bolt 178 with a first end 180 having a bolt head and a second end 182 being threaded. The threaded second end 182 receives a nut 184, similar to the alternative example shown in FIG. 5. Thus, each bolt 178 extends through apertures 172 in the pair of flanges 134, and through an aperture 76 in one of the teeth 36. It will be appreciated that this provides secure connection of the individual teeth 36, but would require more time to make an adjustment to the depth of the cutting by the teeth 36.

[0041] From the above disclosure, it will be apparent that a scarifier assembly constructed in accordance with this disclosure may include a number of structural aspects that provide significant advantages over prior art scarifier assemblies for use on vehicles, depending upon the specific design chosen.

[0042] It will be appreciated that a scarifier assembly may be embodied in various configurations in accordance with the present disclosure. Any variety of suitable materials of construction, configurations, shapes and sizes for the components and methods of connecting the components may be utilized to meet the particular needs and requirements of an end user. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made in the design and construction of such a scarifier assembly without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimed subject matter, and that the claims are not limited to the preferred embodiment illustrated herein.